Sorting or grading machine



W. A. TRESCOTT.

SORTING 0R GRADING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1918.

Patented ,1922. 4: y i% i 2 SHEETSSHEET V INVENTOR BY I LZQSATTORNEYS w. A. TRESCOTT.

sommc 0R GRADING MACHiNE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 1918. v

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. ,3 v I Y s 7, NVENTOR L EZSWQSCZ MW 5 ATTORNEYS l2, r Wm W A 1 A, gym a .a l. i Al "WILLIS A. TEESOOTT, OF.FAIBPOBT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO THE TREEECOTT COIJIPAN'S Z, INO OF FAIRPORT, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SORTING OR GRADING IVIACHINE.

Application filed September 9, 1918. Serial No. 253,150.

To 71 whim-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLis A. Tnnsoo'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sorting or Grading hlachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to sorters or graders and has for its object to provide a machine particularly adapted for grading elongated fruits or vegetables, and particularly what are known as Burbank potatoes, the longitudinal section of which is, generally, elliptical in form, It consists generally speaking, oi? one or more endless conveyors having elongated apertures or openings therethrough with the longer dimensions in the direction of travel, and pre- :ierably means for causing the articles to be graded. to be arranged in proper position over the apertures so as to be gaged by their length, and also consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully novel features being pointed out claims at the end of the specification.

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is longitudinal section of a machine embodying my improvements,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a modified "form of aligning device,

Figure 4i is a cross sectional. view on the line vie -113 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a cross sectional line 7 1, of Figure 1, D

Figure ('3 is a perspective v1ew the links or" a conveyor, and

Figure 7 is a sectional. view shmving the means for connecting the links.

Similar reilerence numerals in the several views indicate the same parts.

As shown in Figures 1. and. 2 the machine e nnprises, generally, frameworkindicated by 1, having supporting legs 2 and an open: ended hopper at the upper side of one end oi the frame comprising an inclined end 3 and sides 4:, into which the vegetables or other articles to be graded are deposited; 5 and 5 indicate rollers in the ends of the frame,

in the view on the of" one of full, clear, and exact serving not only to operate described, the

around which extend a plurality of endless conveyors, each composed in the present instance of open links 6, such as shown in Figure 6, the openings through which are elongated or elliptical and at the ends are provided eyes 7, and connecting the eyes of adjacent links are short, flat, 'imperforate links 8. in the present embodiment I have shown four such conveyors, and between them are arranged separating bars 9 having inclined tops as shown, said separators and the conveyors constituting not only the bottom of the receiving hopper but a support tor the articles to be graded and separated. The conveyors are supported upon rollers 11, arranged intermediate the rollers 5 and 5, and are preferably driven from the roller 5 at the discharge end, which is provided with an operatinghandle 12. Said roller or drum 5 is also provided with projections 18 thereon spaced to substantially correspond with the openings in the links 6 and the conveyors in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1), but also to remove from the links any vegetables which might have become lodged therein, the purpose of this machine is to support elongated or elliptical. articles, such as Burbank potatoes, it is desirable to cause such articles to be straightened or brought into substantial alignment with the grading openings and for this purpose I provide adjacent the tops of the supporting strips 9, pins 15 or projections for engaging the ends of any vegetables or articles that may extend transversely of the conveyors, and

i with whiclrthey contact during their travel through the machine. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, these pins 15 are stationary and are located on the tops of the separating strips in staggered relation so as to engage the ends of the articles, ll they should extend crosswise of: the conveyor, so that as they are carried by the latter they will be straightened with their greater dimension. extending in the direction of: travel and thus be gaged by the longer dimension of the openings in the links 6. l The smaller vegetables will pass through the conveyors, falling upon a chute or support 25 and be deposited at the side of the machine, while the larger vegetables, which it is the object of the machine to remove, are carried to the end of the frame and discharged, each having been tested'by the aperture through the link 6, in which it rests, and bywhich it is carried.

Instead of causing the articles to be aligned with the gaging apertures in the conveyor solely by the movement of the conveyors, I may employ the arrangementshown in Figures 3 and 4: embodying the belts 16, extending over and parallel'with the separating strips 9 and carrying aligning pins or projections 17, said belts passing around grooved rollers 18 and 18 the latter being driven in the direction of the arrowin Figure 3 by a belt 20 from a pulley on the shaftof the roller 5. By operating the belts 16 in the opposite direction from that of the conveyors, the articles may be more quickly alignechbut by reason of the simplicity of the arrangement wherein the pins are'stationary, Iprefer that, although in both the result is accomplished by the relative movements of the articles and the pins.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is i 1. A grading machine for articles of substantially elliptical outline comprising a 1 traveling conveyorh'avmg a plurality oi openings therethrough elongated in the direotion of movement of the conveyor and projections adjacent the sides of the openings for engaging and aligning the conveyed articles with said openings.

2. A grading machine for articles of substantially elliptical outline comprising atraveling conveyor composed of separate, rigid, elliptical open links with their greater length extending in the direction of travel, flexible connections between the links and projections adjacent the sides of the con veyor for engaging and aligning the conveyed articles with said links. I

3. A grading machine for articles of substantially elliptical outline comprising a traveling conveyor having a plurality of subreserve stantially elliptical openings therethrough arranged in parallel rows with their greater dimensions extending in the direction of travel and a plurality of projections arranged between the longitudinal rows adaptopenings extending in the direction of travel, separating strips arranged between longitudinal rows of openings and projections adjacent said strips for engaging and aligning articles carried by the conveyor with said openings therein.

5.,A grading machine for articles of elongated shape comprising a traveling conveyor having a plurality of rows of elongated openings therein, the longer dimensions' of the openings extending in the direction of travel, longitudinally extending separating strips between the rows of openings and a plurality of projections arranged above the strips and movable in the opposite directions from the conveyor to align the articles with the openings therein.

6. A grading machine for articles of elongated shape oomprisin'g a traveling conveyor having a plurality of openings therein elongated in the direction'of travel thereof, and aligning members adjacent the sides of said openings for engaging and aligning the conveyed articles with said openings.

7. A grading machine for articles of elongated shape comprising a traveling conveyor having therein a plurality of openings conforming in shape to the articles to be graded, and article arranging members adj acent the sides of said openings for engaging and arranging the conveyed articles to conform with said openings.

WILLIS A. TRESCOTT. 

